No son, She's my girl

"How are you? Jamal asked his baby sister in a singsong tone smiling

" Tine", she replied giggling

"How are you my baby", Jamil asked her again anxiously expecting a reply.

" Tine",she replied giggling looking from one brother to the other with the same adoration they did her. Zaara's first word turned out to be "tine" translating to "fine" and the twins couldn't get enough of it, it is the most adorable thing ever to them. Zaara already started walking though it was still a bit wobbly, she talks a lot too, baby babble of course, the only coherent word were "Tine" "Zaa"(her name) and "papapapa" (her imitation of clapping hands) . Her talkativeness, she and Jamal got from their mother. Kam just couldn't lose the smile on her face watching the kids play from the kitchen.

"I'm hooooooome!" Amid shouted happily on entering the house, the twins ran up to hug him forgetting little Zaara for a bit. Kam on the other was thinking about how she didn't hear him come through the gate because of the kids. Zaara not wanting to be left behind ran as fast as her little wobbly legs would permit to be part of the reunion and Amid immediately met her halfway throwing her up in the air to catch her again which made her laugh loudly.

"How's daddy's little girl doing today", he said blowing bubbles on her stomack making her laugh hysterically. He continued this while the twins held unto each of his legs. He attempted walking in this manners and it made the twins join Zaara laughing. Kamila, not wanting to lose the scenario quickly turned off the gas and took to her camera, capturing the moment like she always did. Amid on the other hand kept walking towards his wife acting obliviously as if he wasn't being photographed. Getting to his wife, he kissed her forehead still with the kids wrapped around him.

" How's daddy's big girl doing today", he said making the boys giggle and Kam blush.

"Mummy, so you're daddy's girl too, like Zaara", Jamal asked surprised.

"Of course baby", Kam replied laughing looking at her husband lovingly.

" Can you be our girl too? Jamil asked making both their parents laugh.

"No son, she's my girl, but she's your mummy,be contented with that, okay", he ssaid as he dropped little Zaara which gave the boys the cue to stand up from their clinging position.

"Let me go shower, later babe", he said as he ran up the stairs.

" Babe", Zaara said in all seriousness repeating what Amid said, Kam heard this and burst out laughing.

"Babbb babbe babe babbe", she continued saying and the twins repeated after her which made Kam laugh more .

They all sat at the dining after the food was served,Zaara on her baby chair with Kam by her side helping her eat.

" Kids, Bismillah", Amid said when he was about eating and the twins repeated after him and took to their food.

"Illah", Zaara said still with her mouth filled with marshmallows in all seriousness. Kam couldn't stop the laughter that erupted from her, neither did her husband.

" She takes after mummy", Jamil said quietly not looking up from his food though he knew both his parents were staring at him.

"Why'd you say that", Amid said seriously holding his laughter at bay while Kam stare at him shocked.

" Granny said so", he replied shrugging his shoulders as if everything was fine in the world. Amid laughed so hard it took him minutes to be sober while Kam just kept staring at her son incredulously. They both made a mental note to watch what they or any visitor said in the kids presence.

SOME OTHER PLACE....

Aunty Sarah was trying to manoeuvre the car into an estate, the whole area is so clean, unlike the place me and mother lived. It's been eleven months since mother died and aunty Sarah being her only friend didn't want me to stay at the orphanage, so I've been living with her since.

Life has been pretty hard since mother left, she died at childbirth and lost the baby too. In that short period of the, I changed school thrice because I couldn't concentrate. I became a recluse in a matter of days after mother's death. I barely talked to anyone and even if I had to, it was aunty Sarah. She was kind and loving but she couldn't be my mother. Keeping a child with her as an unmarried woman wasn't easy which brings us to the present situation. A couple wanted to adopt me.

Aunty Sarah explained that my new parents are a couple with no child of their own and they wanted me to be their child. The new situation means nothing to me cause I already lost all and any connection I felt with the world, I didn't really care who I was with. My biological father came after mother's death and he was cold to me, said he couldn't take me with him and left some money with Aunty Sarah to take care of me, that was the last I heard from him.

I was young, but not that young to not know that my father came and left like I was a piece of property he came to inspect. I wasn't even pained. He was just a sperm donor as far as I was concerned but his name and face I'll never forget because if he had been with my mother, she prolly would still be with me.

Aunty Sarah turned into a cul-de-sac part of the estate and drove to the end to the front of a beautiful house painted white and yellow. The gate of the house slide open and she drove in.From the main entrance came out two people, a couple.

"Get down", Aunty Sarah said gently helping me with the car door and I did. The atmosphere was serene, the cool breeze that hit my face made me breath out in content and brought the first genuine smile to my face since mother died. The wild smile on their faces and the little unassured steps they took towards me made relax a lot and somewhere deep down, their identity as strangers to me got erased and I felt like I was home. Aunty Sarah gently nudged me to walk to them and when we stood right in front of them, she introduced us.

" Good morning, I'm Sarah Simpson ", she said shaking the man's outstretched hand, " This is your would-be son Jason Johnson", she introduced me with her other hand on my shoulder kneading it with assurance.

"Good morning, I'm Damola Durelo and this is my wife Jane Durelo. Jane or mom like she'd soon be called bent down to be on the same eye level with me, staring into my eyes, hers filled with tears as if she could see how deep in sorrow I was.

" Hello JJ", she said sniffing and smiling, blinking back tears. I smiled back not because I was happy but because I knew in that moment,for a fact that I was home.